


the mistake

by Slice_of_Apple



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, OOC levi was a jerk in the past, Past Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Sad Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-21 06:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30017478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slice_of_Apple/pseuds/Slice_of_Apple
Summary: eren asks Jean to attend a wedding as his fake boyfriend.
Relationships: Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith
Comments: 15
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this will be very short, light and fluffy. tags, etc. will change as more is added (title, too, when i come up with a better one). thanks for reading. cheers!

“Jaeger?” Jean feels a little nervous answering the phone. Eren never calls him. What could be up?

“Horseface.”

Jean waits, but Eren doesn't say anything else. His nervousness turns to annoyance. Isn’t that just like Eren? Making Jean do all the work?

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?” he prompts.

Silence. Until Eren finally says, “Can you meet for coffee?”

That’s weird. Why did that invite warrant a call? Wouldn’t a text have done just as well?

“Um. Okay. When?”

“Is now good?”

Jean’s curiosity is piqued. Why the hell would Eren call him, then ask to meet for coffee _right away_? Something is up. But along with the curiosity, his nervousness increases. Having _something up_ with Eren is never good. At least, not where Jean is concerned. It always seems to end up with the two of them rolling around in the dirt, trading blows.

The curiosity wins out, though, because all he says is, “Sure.”

Things only get stranger at the coffee shop. Eren has already bought Jean’s coffee.

“What’s up?” he asks abruptly as he settles down at the small table. He takes the top off the coffee and gratefully breathes in the rich scent. He can tell that it’s exactly the way he likes it.

Eren doesn’t quite meet his eyes. 

Jean’s own eyes narrow. What exactly is going on here?

Ah, he’s got it. 

“You want something.”

Eren blushes, confirming his suspicion.

“I knew it.” Nothing comes without a price, not even coffee. “Spill.”

Eren hesitates.

This is getting weirder and weirder. Eren never hesitates. He always blunders in like a mad, charging horse, leaving a swath of bodies in his wake.

“If you don’t spit it out in the next thirty seconds, I’m leaving. _With_ my coffee.”

Eren, looking embarrassed of all things, rubs the back of his neck. _What??!_ When is Eren ever embarrassed?

“Twenty more seconds,” says Jean.

Still, Eren continues to hesitate.

Jean feels like he has gone down the rabbit hole.

“Ten seconds.” He ostentatiously puts the cover back on his coffee and shifts in his seat. Not that he would actually leave. There’s obviously something very juicy going on, something that is making Eren uncomfortable. And if there’s anything in life that makes Jean happy, it’s an uncomfortable Eren.

“Five, four, three, two…”

“Okay, okay,” says Eren, now looking flustered. Jean smiles. This day is turning out to be far more interesting than he thought it would be when he woke up this morning.

“So,” Eren says, then stops.

More silence.

Time for Jean to move things along in earnest.

“Nice chatting with you, Jaeger. Thanks for the drink. I’ll see you around.”

He’s already up, grabbing the coffee, when Eren’s hand snaps out and takes hold of his wrist.

“Sit down, Kirstein,” he says. His face is beet red, but his gaze is steady. “Please.”

_Please_? Eren never says _please._ Not to Jean, anyway.

Jean frowns.

Now he’s definitely feeling nervous. Could something be actually wrong? Is Eren in some kind of trouble?

“Are you okay?” he asks. As soon as the words are out, he regrets them. He’s not actually _concerned_ about Eren, is he?

But there must be something about the words, or the tone, that relaxes Eren, because he finally starts talking.

“Yeah, thanks. I’m just nervous.”

Jean blinks at him. He’s _admitting_ it? To Jean?

At least the dam seems to have been broken, and Eren is able to keep talking.

“You're going to The Wedding, right?” Eren says it like that, with capital letters.

“Of course.” Jean doesn’t really want to talk about it with Eren. He knows how badly hurt Eren was by that breakup, and it feels like that territory is too low to exploit, even for Jean.

“Will you go with me instead? As my plus-one?”

_“What?”_

Whatever Jean was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. 

“Did you just ask me to go _as your date_ to Levi and Erwin’s wedding?”

“Yes.” Eren is clearly serious, pinning him down with those huge eyes.

“But – but _why_?”

Eren doesn’t answer right away. This time, Jean waits it out.

“I want to have company there.”

Jean doesn’t buy it.

“You’ll have plenty of company. Everyone from North third floor will be there,” he says, naming their freshman dorm.

“Yeah, but…”

Again, silence.

Jean tries a different tack.

“What would me going with you accomplish?”

This time it works.

“I – I don’t want his pity. I want him to see that I’ve moved on, that I’m happy, too.”

Ah. Now Jean is getting to the root of the matter.

“But you haven’t, and you’re not,” he says, pointing out the obvious.

“He doesn’t need to know that,” reasons Eren.

It’s Jean’s turn to be at a loss for words. In no way could this be considered a good idea.

Eren can see the reluctance on his face.

“Don't worry," he says, obviously trying to reassure Jean. "It'll all be fake, of course. And just for the weekend. Then you can go back to expressing how you really feel about me."

Jean ignores the pang in his chest at this.

"Please, Jean.” That word again. Eren is practically _begging_ him. That still doesn't make it a good idea.

Jean’s voice is uncharacteristically soft when he says, “I know it was painful when Levi left you.”

“Cheated on me!” cries out Eren. Through the anger runs a thread of deep hurt.

“Cheated on you,” Jean agrees. “But the best thing you can do is move on.”

Eren shakes his head. "I thought it would be _me_ walking down the aisle with him.”

Jean can’t think of anything to say to this sad admission.

Eren’s eyes harden.

“And I can’t go to the wedding alone.”

“Then don’t go to the wedding at all!”

“I have to go!” Eren says hotly, his face red again. “I’m not letting him win on this.”

“It’s not about winning,” Jean says, his voice once again gentle. He feels an unexpected pity wash over him. Eren is never this vulnerable. He amends the thought. Eren has always been vulnerable about one thing: Levi. He thinks back to all the times he saw them in college, Eren draped over Levi, Levi’s face, usually so blank, smiling softly at Eren as he played with his hair.

“Please, Jean.”

“I’ll think about it."

Eren glowers at him in a reassuringly familiar way. Phew. At least the real Eren is still in there.

“Don’t think too long, because if you don’t want to, I'm going to ask someone else,” he grumbles.

Jean knows this is an empty threat. If Eren had had anyone else to ask, he would have done so. He decides to call Eren on it.

“Oh yeah? Like who?”

Eren looks nonplussed, like he wasn’t expecting the question.

Jean laughs. “I thought so. You’re only asking me because you don’t have anyone else to ask.”

“That’s not true. There are loads of people who would jump at the chance.”

Jean raises an eyebrow. “Okay. Like who?” he repeats

“Like.. Connie!” says Eren triumphantly.

“Connie?” Jean scoffs. “No one would ever believe Connie is in love with you. Not the way he’s been mooning after Sash all these years.”

“Yes, they would,” says Eren stubbornly.

Jean snorts but doesn’t say anything else.

He looks across the table. Eren looks small and miserable. 

Jean sighs. He knows he’s going to do it. Of course he’s going to do it. Despite all the bickering, and the out-and-out fighting, he’s always been a sucker where Eren is concerned.

Might as well try to make the best of the situation, though.

“What do I get out of it?”

Eren immediately perks up. “You’ll do it?” he says in surprise.

“I haven’t said yes yet.”

“Thank you, Kirstein! You have no idea what this means to me!”

“I haven’t said yes!” repeats Jean. Eren ignores him, as per usual.

“I already have the hotel booked. I can drive us there and back – “

"Would you shut up for a minute?"

Miraculously, Eren shuts up.

“Answer my question. Suppose I do agree to this stupid farce and pretend to be your lovey dovey boyfriend, which will mean not only will I have an utterly nauseating weekend, I'll forego any opportunity I might have had to get some ass myself. What do I get in return?”

“I guess that _is_ a valid point. What do you want?”

Holy shit, is Eren willing to give him whatever he wants? Jean practically salivates. The possibilities are endless! Because, of course, anything he gets in return must include some measure of humiliation for Eren.

“Within reason,” Eren adds warningly.

By this point, however, Jean knows it’s all show. Jean’s got Eren by the balls, and when has _that_ ever happened before? Maybe the whole thing _isn't_ such a bad idea, after all.

His mind, unfortunately, remains a blank.

“I’ll have to let you know,” he says reluctantly.

“Okay,” Eren nods. His face relaxes. “Thank you!” Now that he’s getting what he wants, he’s all smiles. “I’ll email you the itinerary. Cheers, Kirstein!”

He lifts his cup up to tap Jean’s.

At least one of them is happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these are short chapters because i'm having trouble getting them out. apologies for any typos, etc. i often can't see them until after posting, and have to correct them then.

“Why aren’t we using _my_ car?” Jean can’t help asking for the millionth time. It isn’t helping his mood that his legs are being painfully squished between his bags and the door of Eren’s miniature car. They're going early, because everyone is meeting up tonight for some pre-wedding festivities. The whole gang will be staying in the same hotel, so it's almost like a mini reunion.

“I told you, I’m taking care of everything,” Eren snaps back, obviously feeling the strain of the trip himself.

“If this is how you ‘take care’ of everything, I’m not optimistic about my chances of survival,” grumbles Jean. He is regretting his decision more and more with each passing second. “And your music sucks.” It’s not entirely true, but needling Eren has always been a surefire method of lifting Jean’s spirits.

It works like a charm.

“Then how come you’re always singing to it?” Eren shoots back, rising to the bait.

“Just because it’s catchy doesn’t mean it’s any good. It just means it's full of inane, repetitive patterns. Kind of like you."

“Fuck you.”

Jean turns to the side so Eren can’t see his face. Yep, he already feels better. He smiles as he rolls down the window. So what if he’s lost all blood flow to his toes? The open road is before them, they brought great snacks, and he's going to have plenty of opportunity to annoy Eren. Maybe this weekend won’t be as bad as he thinks it will, after all.

Jean is singing under his breath to Eren’s music when Eren turns the volume down.

Jean looks at him, frowning. Lowering the music is never a good sign. It usually precedes a Serious Discussion of some sort. In fact, that’s how Marco started off their Final Talk.

Is Eren going to drop a bomb on him, now that he’s immobilized in this death trap?

Eren hesitates, then says, a little nervously, “Can you, uh, not tell anyone? That we’re not really together?”

Jean lets out a relieved breath. He doesn't care in the least if no one knows. That doesn’t mean he’s going to pass up the opportunity to make Eren sweat a little.

“What? You mean I have to live with Ymir believing I’d actually sink so low as to go out with _you_? ”

“If you tell Ymir, she’ll tell Historia, then Sasha will know, and Sasha is the world’s biggest blabbermouth. It will definitely get back to Levi. Please? _I’m_ not telling anyone.”

“You mean _Mikasa_ doesn’t even know it’s fake?”

“Of course not!”

_This_ , on the other hand, _is_ a problem. " _Shit!_ "

“Why do you care whether Mikasa knows?” Eren asks curiously.

“Because she’s going to kill me!”

Eren looks at him like he’s crazy.

“No, she’s not,” he says. “What are you talking about?”

“Are you kidding? If she thinks we’re fucking, of course she’ll kill me!”

Eren only laughs. He is amazingly oblivious where Mikasa is concerned.

“She won’t kill you. But, if you’re worried about it, we can have a big breakup on Sunday night, right before we leave. That’ll get her off your back. We should probably plan on something like that anyway, so we can end things cleanly.”

Jean’s bizarre internal response is, _Break up? So soon?_ He bites back the protest rising in his throat.

Eren takes the mangled grunt Jean manages to get out as one of assent.

“Yeah,” he continues, getting into it. “Let’s have a vocal, very visible fight. You can yell about how you want to get more serious, and I’ll scream back that this was supposed to be a light, fun relationship. Sounds good, right?” This is followed by an eager glance at Jean, as though expecting him to respond with equal enthusiasm to the proposal.

“No, it does not sound good, you jerk. Why would it be _me_ who wants more? It’s obviously going be _you_ who’s crawling after _me_.”

Eren shakes his head. “No way. No one would believe that _I_ would chase after _you_.”

And there it is in a nutshell. The reason Eren is so freaking annoying. Because he’s perfectly serious, spouting this bullshit.

“But you _are_ chasing me,” Jean points out the obvious. "This whole thing is _your_ idea."

“In the alternate reality where our fake relationship exists, you’re way more invested in us than I am,” is Eren’s immediate response.

“No way. In that alternate reality, which is a very freaky place, by the way, you are the one who went after me from the beginning. In fact, the only thing keeping the relationship alive and off life support is your relentless pursuit of me. To that end, you’re constantly bringing me flowers, you’ve given me a million massages, and you’ve even been known to serve me breakfast in bed.”

“That is indeed a strange universe, dude, and I think you were high when you imagined it. Because there is no fucking way I brought you flowers in any reality, even once, not to mention multiple times. And I have never ever, ever served anyone breakfast in bed.”

“Really?” asks Jean. “Not even Levi?” He’s actually curious about it.

“Nah,” says Eren, a hint of pink on his cheeks. “I was going to, once. He said not to bother, that my cooking sucked.”

“I’m sorry,” says Jean, and he means it. “That’s kind of shitty.”

“Probably should have told me something about where the relationship was headed, right?” says Eren, letting out a mocking half-laugh.

“Well,” says Jean, feeling an odd impulse to offer Eren support, “when you bring me breakfast in bed in our alternate reality, I definitely appreciate it. In fact, I enjoy having you slather me with attention.”

“Good to know,” says Eren absently. He has a distant look on his face, and Jean can guess where his thoughts have strayed. Well, it was to be expected that he would think about Levi.

They drift into silence, and Jean turns the music back up.

About ten minutes later, Eren starts talking again.

“Why have you had so few long-term relationships?”

Jean gives a start of surprise. He’s been so lulled by the banter he’s let his guard down. Thinking about Levi must have gotten Eren moving in this unprofitable direction. Jean had better get them out of these treacherous waters, pronto.

“What do you care?” he growls. 

Unfortunately, Eren doesn’t take the hint.

“There was Nile-“

Jean heads this off at the pass. “I wouldn’t call that long-term. Nor a relationship.”

“And, well, Marco.”

Yeah. Of course. Marco. Who finally dumped Jean when he realized that nothing was ever going to really change.

“Why didn’t you guys stay together? He was crazy about you, wasn’t he?”

“Not meant for each other, I guess,” mumbles Jean, hoping this will be enough.

“And you haven’t been with anyone else since graduation?”

Jean gives a noncommittal grunt.

“Why not?”

“What are you, my shrink?” asks Jean.

“No. I'm just curious. Given that you’re my fake boyfriend and all. I mean, you obviously have a toxic personality."

“Fuck off!"

“But you're sort of attractive - if someone squints - and looks at you in dim light - "

"Thanks a lot," mutters Jean.

" - and you’re also smart, and sometimes you're even a little bit interesting. So, why aren’t you with anyone?"

Eren’s brow is furrowed as he ponders this question.

Jean better swing this conversation in a different direction, and quickly.

“What about you, Mr. Lonely Hearts?”

“I’m single because my heart was broken,” Eren answers primly.

“That was two years ago!”

“So? A broken heart can take decades to heal.”

“Ha! In a cheesy straight-to-DVD romance!”

Soon they are safely discussing the relative merits of the small versus large screen, and, thankfully, off the topic of Jean’s lack of long-term committed relationships. Jean exhales in relief. That was a little too close for comfort.


End file.
